"You sense that?" hissed Sasuke quietly to his teammates. Sakura only looked at him with confusion, while Naruto on the other hand grinned mischievously.

"Ehh don't worry 'bout it teme!" said the Uzumaki nonchalantly as he interlocked his hands behind his head, "Remember that horde of weird killer rabbits?"

Sasuke's eyes widened minutely in shock, was he talking about when? Sasuke joined his orange comrade with an almost sadistic smile.

"When? How?"

"Who do you think your talking to bastard?" said Naruto cheekily as he raised his hands into the release seal, "Like Zaraki-sensei said… I'm unpredictable!"

A cacophony of deafening explosions rocked the forest of training grounds forty-four. Three stunned shinobi fell smoking out of the canopy, their bodies burned and unconscious, but alive.

A tree came crashing down upon the konoha genin, narrowly missing the fallen forms of the three enemy genin.

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Whoops?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond's antics before searching the bodies of the ninja in front of them. Their headbands identified them as ninja from Rain, but it was made obvious by the respirators that the trio all wore. An odd choice of equipment thought the Uchiha, but potentially useful nonetheless. Rummaging through their equipment pouches, he relieved them of most of their weapons, and tossed the heaven scroll towards his blond teammate.

"Wha-what did you do Naruto?" asked Sakura incredulously. Ever since they entered the forest, those two were acting really weird. It was almost as if they knew exactly where they were going and where and what to avoid! And then there was Naruto! The dead last annoying prankster. But he wasn't acting like an idiot though. Instead, he was being a vital part of the team.

The blond ninja had created a score of clones the second they left the gates into the forest. Henging them into copies of team seven, he then sent them off in various directions. When she asked what he was doing, he responded with a simple, "Distracting aren't they?"

When had Naruto become a competent ninja?

"Hehehe Sakura-chan…" laughed the orange ninja sheepishly, his voice echoing through out the smoking clearing, "Just a bit of my trusty ol' explosive notes, activated with a remote trigger! Designed them myself!"

Remote trigger? Himself?

"Still gotta work out the bugs though!" continued Naruto, as the trio set off again into the forest canopy, "I think the chakra sensor is interfering with the explosive yield, 'cause that was a bit bigger than I meant it to be… Maybe it was the transmitter seal that sucked up the energy from my clones or something… Or maybe-"

Sakura stared at her teammate as he proceeded to ramble on about the intricacies of using an odd numbered transmitting seal to correspond with a simple even numbered chakra receiver, and why maybe he should add in a conversion seal to some sort of suppression matrix. Most of the advanced concepts he was spouting about went right over her head. Since when did Naruto become so… so… Unpredictable?

The pink haired genin shook her head in amusement, and looked back at the rambling ninja beside her with a hint of fondness. The idiot really was unpredictable wasn't he?

"Kukukuku… Such an interesting group you are…" said an oily voice from all around the Konoha genin.

The collective members of team seven halted in their tracks, before jumping down towards the forest floor their weapons out.

"How nostalgic. The standard Konoha defensive formation…" said the voice again, as the shinobi stepped out of the darkness and into the clearing before them. The insignia on the shinobi's headband showed that she was a kunoichi from the Grass village.

"Oi! Who the hell do you think you are sneaking up on us like that?" shouted Naruto loudly, pointing his finger at the shinobi, "You're messing with the future Hokage and his team, believe it!"

"Kukuku…" laughed the shinobi amused, before she continued, "Then perhaps I'll test a future Hokage along with the last 'loyal' Uchiha!"

Killing intent burst from the kunoichi, her power saturating the very air. Sasuke fell to his knees, the pressure on his body so great. Sakura stood quivering, unmoving in her fear. It felt as if they were already dead, and was just waiting for the deed to be done.

"Hmm… Perhaps you aren't as-" the disguised snake sannin was suddenly interrupted by a swarm of orange clad clones falling from the canopy screaming battle cries, "Kukuku… What is this? You are a lively one aren't you?"

Uzumaki Naruto wiped the sweat off his brow as he kicked Sasuke, knocking the Uchiha over.

"Snap out of it teme! Let's kick this chicks ass!" shouted the orange ninja loudly as he created an army of clones, sending them forward to their deaths.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu," hissed the kunoichi, flinging a single ninja star at the clones in front of her. A metal wave of death suddenly appeared, destroying the army of blonds instantly into smoke.

Stepping forth from the dissipating smoke the kunoichi continued mockingly, "You'll have to do better than that, future Hokag-"

A sudden plume of fire exploded from beneath the kunoichi, consuming the area in a massive explosion. Dirt rained from the sky in chunks and Naruto sighed happily as the smoke cleared again.

"You are starting to annoy me child!" hissed the disguised Orochimaru angrily as he lifted the blond by his neck, "Now you die."

The snake sannin twisted violently and threw the orange clad genin to the side. The genin crashed through several trees before falling limply to the ground.

Sasuke stared at the fallen form of his comrade. The last Uchiha shook as his sharingan activated itself out of anger. The blood pooling around the body of his rival burned itself permanently into his mind.

"You're turn Sasuke-kun," said the sannin malevolently, "Your teammate was impressive… However, let's see if your eyes are also up to the task!"

The last Uchiha dove to the side as a massive snake burst from the ground, its dark green scales shining in the sunlight, with milky white venom dripping from its jaws.

"Get the hell away from me!" yelled Sasuke angrily flinging a set of kunai at the abnormally large snake, blinding the creature. A second later had the Uchiha speeding through a familiar set of seals, ""Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A fireball burst from his lips, setting the thrashing creature on fire. He let out a sigh of relief as the snake burnt itself into a crisp.

"Prey shouldn't relax, especially when there's a predator nearby!"

Sasuke glared at the enemy kunoichi, his fists clenched.

You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live… if you wish to kill me, then hate me, despise me… and by all means flee, cling to your wretched life.

This bastard…

You're messing with the future Hokage and his team... Believe it!

Was going to die.

Sasuke burst into motion, throwing an incredibly fast roundhouse kick at the sannin. Undeterred by the casual way his opponent blocked his attack, the Uchiha lashed out with a flurry of anger-induced punches.

"Kukuku! Show me more!"

Growling in anger, Sasuke flung a set of shuriken quickly at his taunting opponent. Dodging under the vicious strike the enemy shinobi threw at him, he rolled behind the shinobi, his sharingan guiding his movements.

The last Uchiha manipulated the wires in his hands quickly, the shuriken that he threw came flying back, wrapping up the kunoichi tightly.

"Excellent work Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke ignored the mocking words of his opponent and went through the seals of his favorite jutsu.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Sasuke grunted in satisfaction as he watched his opponent burn. There was no way the grass ninja could have possibly survived…

"Kukuku…" laughed the snake sannin as he suddenly appeared before him, kicking Sasuke violently in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground, "That was an impressive show Sasuke-kun. Too bad your eyes fail to match the power of your brother."

Sasuke glared at the ninja with a mixture of fear and hate.

"My name is Orochimaru. And we will see each other again Sasuke-kun," said the snake summoner as his neck elongated unnaturally, "Now then… My gift to you"

Sasuke could only watch as the fanged shinobi came closer and closer to his immobile form. A shadow suddenly appeared over him, the sickening smell of blood, wafting over the clearing.

"Hey teme…" grimaced the bloodied form of his teammate from above him, the intimidating silhouette of Orochimaru biting into his shoulder. Throwing his right elbow back, the orange genin caught Orochimaru in the side, throwing the snake sannin off him in the process, "Now I don't owe you for Wave any-anymore…"

Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto collapsed in front of him. Unmoving.

"Insolent child!" roared Orochimaru angrily. The damned brat took the seal meant for the Uchiha, and without Jūgo nearby to provide the necessary enzyme to create another one… The snake sannin growled angrily. He'd have to mark Sasuke some other time.

"I will return Sasuke-kun, and you will receive my gift!" hissed Orochimaru, shaking with rage. Sensing approaching chakra signatures, the sannin decided discretion was the better part of valor. It wasn't time for an extended conflict. He had an invasion to orchestrate. He would have his revenge.

Sasuke and Sakura watched in silence as Orochimaru disappeared into the darkness. A pained groan called their attention to their fallen teammate. Naruto.

"Sak-Sakura," grimaced Sasuke painfully, the act of simply talking sending him into a world of pain, "Help Nar-Naruto… I'll keep wa-watch."

"But Sasuke-kun your-" protested Sakura as she cringed at the injured form of her crush.

"Ju-just do it Sakura…"

"Okay Sasuke-kun…"

Damn it Naruto… Don't die.

Konoha's Border

"Someone bring down that damn barrier!"

"Die Konoha-scum!"

"Bring it the fuck on!"

The coppery scent of blood permeated the entire battlefield, as the slippery substance pooled across the ground. Flames danced in the darkness, setting the countryside alight, and dark smoke billowed around the fort.

Namikaze Zaraki danced around the deadly strike of a Sound shinobi, before blurring into motion. Slamming the ninja directly in the stomach, the time traveler wrapped his other arm around the unfortunate shinobi's neck and twisted violently. A sickening crack echoed as the man fell limply to the floor.

"Booyah mother fucker! How you like them apples?!"

Without a second's hesitation, the Namikaze spun around a hasty stab from behind, catching the offending shinobi's outstretched arm. A quick jab at the shinobi's elbow caused the Oto-nin to cry out in agony as the bones in his arm shattered, before being cut off as a kunai found his throat.

"Zaraki, on me!" called out a hoarse voice nearby.

Naruto spared a quick glance in the calling ninja's direction. Genma, the senbon using ninja, was currently finishing off an overzealous Sound chuunin. Deciding to assist Genma, the time traveler took off with a sudden burst of speed. Noticing a Sound genin charging his person out of the corner of his eye, Naruto barely slowed as he cleaved the man in half with his massive blade.

"We need to move Zaraki, the commander is engaging the leader of the attack," said Genma quickly, his breathing hard, "We need to bring down the barrier and get the others out of here. We need to warn Konoha!"

"Hai. Agreed," growled out the Namikaze, as his fingers flew through the seals of the Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu. A wave of deadly metal pinned two unfortunate Sound ninja to the walls, the sheer amount of blades penetrating them a clear sign of the deaths.

"What's the plan then?"

Genma grinned savagely before replying simply, "Kill the bastards."

Naruto nodded in agreement as he followed the Anbu towards a corner of the massive purple barrier surrounding them. The Namikaze looked back as he felt the earth shake violently. Several Konoha ninja were engaging a bone wielding ninja. As bone spikes burst from the ground, Naruto's eyes widened at the familiar sight. That was the ninja that he fought momentarily during the failed Sasuke retrieval.

"Bah… Worry 'bout the bastard later, we have more weaklings to kill!"

The two ninja flew through the burning outpost at incredible speeds, only slowing down to rescue a trio injured chuunin from her opponents.

When they reached the barrier, one of the rescued chuunin spoke up tiredly, "Don't touch it… Hisao-kun tried to jump through the barrier. It… It burns what it touches into ash."

Genma swore, "How the hell are we going to bring this down?!"

Naruto remained silent. He could hear the sounds of battle echoing behind him. The scent of blood and smoke was thick in the air, and the crashing sound of metal on metal continued to sound. If the barrier wasn't brought down soon then the entire outpost was going to be overrun.

"Then bring down the damn barrier gaki! Get over that damn fear of clones you have and use that jutsu!"

The Namikaze grimaced, the sudden pain in his chest struck him like a hit from Lee. He hadn't used either jutsu for more than three years. He couldn-"

"Kami damn it! Use the fucking jutsu!"

Twin bursts of smoke appeared beside the bandaged ninja, startling one of the female chuunin. Glassy eyes took in its surroundings as the abnormally dead voice of the Namikaze spoke.

"Get back. When the barrier goes down, prepare to return to Konoha. Inform them of what happened. Prepare for an invasion. I will buy you time."

"What the hell are you talking abou-"

"Prepare to run."

Naruto moved almost robotically as he raised a hand to the sky. The two nearby clones manipulating the chakra that was forming in his hands.

"Fūton: Rasenshuriken," whispered the blond quietly.

Genma took a step back at the sheer amount of chakra the blond was using. The wind rose suddenly, and the senbon using ninja was forced to use chakra to hold himself down as he was buffeted by the Namikaze's power. The four Konoha shinobi stared in awe at the ball of chakra that was forming above the Tokubetsu Jounin's head, its shape quickly forming a massive shuriken.

Then he threw it.

The massive jutsu screamed through the air towards the barrier jutsu. Genma's eyes widened in shock as the technique suddenly expanded into insane proportions. The entire battlefield stopped as one, turning towards the screeching sound of the technique grinding into the barrier. Then the world exploded. Ninja of both sides found themselves thrown to the ground, as the sheer power of the technique shattered the previously unbreakable barrier.

Both sides gazed in awe at the spot of the explosion.

"For Konoha!" shouted a renewed chuunin, stabbing his tanto into his bewildered opponent.

Breaking the momentary pause in fighting, the battle begun anew.

"Go… I will engage the enemy," said Naruto flatly, turning away from his destructive handiwork.

"Not again damn it…"

"What is the meaning of this Kiri-nin?"

"The gaki's pretty fucked up you furry fuck… He got all messed up after the damn snake bastard burned down Konoha. Long story short, the kage bunshin the snake summoned during the Fall gave their memories to the gaki. The fucking bastard summoned an army of the damned things.

"So what, it was the Meatbags clones, not the brat himself."

"The brat gains the memories of every single clone he summons you fucking ignorant demon! He turns into a damn machine every time he uses a clone now."

Naruto ignored the two voices in his head as he turned away from Genma and the other chuunin. The smell of burnt wood and flesh teased at his heightened senses while memories from before came unbidden from the recesses of his mind.

"Ignore it you fucking brat, kill the Sound ninja then freak out!"

Naruto's thoughts went blank. Kill the Sound ninja. Orders acknowledged.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu," growled the time traveler softly. A plume of smoke erupted around the Namikaze.

Genma, who was standing behind the Namikaze, let loose a gasp at the amount of clones his newest comrade had created.

"Go… Warn Konoha. I will cover your escape," said the ninja forcefully as he rested his massive sword on his shoulder.

The senbon chewing ninja gave a single terse nod of acknowledgment.

"Good luck."

Naruto turned back towards the burning outpost. Channeling chakra to his feet, the ninja leapt forward with a burst of speed. An army of clones following in his wake.

Konoha, Forest of Death

Sakura cringed at the blood that covered both her teammates, the sticky substance clinging to everything it touched. Sakura and Sasuke had dragged their comatose teammate to a small cave they found, where they tried their hardest to help their diminutive teammate. Looking at the pale unmoving form of her teammate, Sakura couldn't help but shiver at the unnaturalness of it. Naruto was always so lively and vibrant, a source of entertainment wherever he went. But now…

Sakura cringed. When that horrible ninja attacked, she couldn't do a thing. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move. Nothing.

She sat and watched as that shinobi, Orochimaru, decimated both her teammates. Her fists shook in shame and fury. She was worthless. But never again. As she wrapped the wounds of her blond teammate, she vowed by the sticky blood that covered her hands and clothes. She would be useful. She swore it.

Sasuke sat perched quietly in a tree overlooking his teammates. His eyes scanned his surroundings constantly, his head always on a swivel.

"Now I don't owe you for Wave any-anymore…"

Sasuke clenched his hands angrily. That idiot. He was willing to sacrifice his life and dream for him. The last Uchiha. His body shook. He didn't deserve it. That stupid damned idiotic… Sasuke could still see Orochimaru coming at him, his mouth widened in a sick parody of a smile. The blond standing above him, covered in blood, a massive shard of wood stabbed in his side. His sharingan burned it all into his memory.

Though Sasuke didn't grasp it now, he would look back at this moment and realize… This was when he swore his loyalty to the Uzumaki. His… Friend…

Sasuke growled inaudibly as he noticed three shinobi moving slowly towards his teammates, their headbands signifying ninja from Sound. Pulling a kunai from his pouch, the Uchiha leapt down from above, slamming the blade in his hand deep into the shoulder of a dark haired shinobi, throwing the ninja to the ground.

"Zaku!"

The Uchiha rolled quickly away from his opponent, but fell to one knee blood gushed from his ears, his equilibrium temporarily lost. A bandaged nin faced him, his right arm outstretched.

"Uchiha Sasuke. We've come to kill you," said the Oto-nin calmly as he stared at his opponent.

"It's nothing personal Uchiha-kun," quipped the female Sound ninja, ignoring her fallen teammate, "We're just following order-"

A pink blur cut off her next words as Sakura tackled the unaware kunoichi from the side, pounding her fists violently into the other girl.

Sasuke capitalized on the mummy ninjas distracted state by throwing a set of kunai around the ninja. Ignoring the dodging ninjas taunts, he manipulated the wire in his hands.

"What the-" growled the Uchiha as he suddenly fell over again, his balance lost again.

"Don't bother Uchiha. Your eardrums are damaged, your sense of balance is gone," said the ninja nonchalantly.

Sasuke's eyes shot to his struggling pink haired teammate, who was being held up by her long hair. Sakura winced in pain as the other kunoichi pulled harder on her hair in anger. A sudden twist by the Konoha kunoichi saw a kunai cutting off the majority of her hair, before she rolled away to safety.

"Give up trash. You're no match for us," continued the bandaged ninja, raising his arm up again.

The collective group of genin froze as a wave of malevolent chakra exploded outwards from the nearby cave.

A shadowed figure walked out slowly, his body covered by a mixture of purple and red flames, a tail made of pure chakra waving behind him.

Naruto.

The blond genin stepped into the clearing, the light casting away the shadows that covered his appearance. The whiskers on his cheeks had darkened into wide gashes, while swirling black tattoos danced across the side of his face.

The sound ninja Dosu took a hesitant step back from the intimidating figure, instantly recognizing the distinct signs of Lord Orochimaru's cursed seal. But this was perhaps the most frightening incarnation he'd ever witnessed. The short genin had grown claws from his fingertips, and when the blond opened his eyes, the sound nin took another fearful step backwards. The eyes were terrifying crimson orbs, the pupils slit unnaturally.

"Why…" growled out the rage-induced shinobi, his body shaking in anger "Are you hurting my TEAM!"

Naruto moved faster than his sharingan eyes could follow, pinning the leader to the wall by his neck. Before he could shout out a warning, Naruto lashed out at the sneaking form of Zaku, the ninja Sasuke took out first.

The limp form flew through the air before crashing into the ground, unmoving.

"You bastards…" continued Naruto, squeezing the bandaged ninja's neck harder and harder.

"Naruto!"

Sharingan eyes met crimson.

"Let him go…" said the Uchiha softly. Naruto was acting… Wrong…

The blond cocked his head curiously, "Why should I?"

"He's… He's not worth our time… Let him go."

Naruto grinned savagely before throwing the choking ninja down violently.

"Whatever you say… Teme…" said the Uzumaki, before he turned to the terrified sound-nin, "Hurt my precious people again…"

An explosion of killer intent emanated from the blond.

"And I'll kill you…"

The terrified form of Kin nodded rapidly as she threw her Earth scroll at the blond's feet, before grabbing the unconscious bodies of her teammates and running away as fast as she could carry them.

"Na-Naruto?" came the quiet voice of Sakura, her body hunched and in pain.

The flames and dark energy swirling around the Uzumaki slowly dissipated into nothingness as he watched the sound-nin run away.

"Hey Sakura-chan…" said Naruto quietly, "Are you 'kay?"

"Hai…"

"Teme?"

"Hn."

"M'kay…" continued the blond quietly, as he picked up the fallen Earth scroll, "Let's go guys…"

The Sandaime Hokage could count on his hands how many times he had been truly surprised since he took the office of Hokage. His student's betrayal… The death of Minato-kun… And now…

The ragged form of his favorite genin came stumbling into the tower, his trademark orange jacket missing, while his entire body was covered in blood.

Sarutobi felt his pipe fall from his lips, and he was forced to resist the urge to immediately run down and check on his surrogate grandson. The Sandaime winced in sympathy at how run down the Uzumaki looked, along with his teammates.

"Congratulations on passing the second exam. Before we proceed however, I will inform you of the true purpose of the Chuunin exams," said the wizened Hokage to the group of genin, "While true that this is a chance at promotion, the exams serve another purpose. A replacement for war between nations."

Ignoring the incredulous looks of the genin, he continued, "The third exam will showcase your talents to potential clients, as your skill will determine your villages future contracts. However, seeing as how there are too many genin here, you will be participating in a preliminary match to determine those who will move on to the next event."

"Are there any who do not wish to continue?" questioned the Hokage to the group.

"I-I quit…" came the soft voice of Yakushi Kabuto, raising his hand. The Hokage nodded in acknowledgment to the adopted son of Konoha's head medical doctor.

"Anyone else? No? Very well then... Opponents will be chosen at random." The collective group of genin looked at each other warily. The teams consisted of teams seven, eight, and nine, along with the team from Suna, and the two remaining teammates of Kabuto.

"The first two participants are Akado Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke are you prepared?"

"Hai."

"Hn…"

"Begin."

Yoroi burst quickly into motion as he tried to get closer to the Uchiha, his ability to drain chakra needed to be close. The Konoha spy quickly noticed that despite the obvious pain the genin was, the Uchiha did not have Orochimaru-sama's cursed seal. He'd have to work quickly if-urrrkk!"

The genin collapsed to the ground as Sasuke blurred in front of him, his sharingan spinning.

"Hn… You're weaker than I expected," said the Uchiha haughtily.

Yoroi tried to stand before he collapsed in pain to his knees. The distinct feelings of blood dripping down both his legs.

"Wha-"

"I sliced your tendons, you were just too slow to realize it… Hokage-sama, this fight is over…"

The Hokage looked at the fallen form of the other genin before quickly announcing his victory. Sarutobi watched with interest as the young Uchiha immediately leapt up to the balcony to check on his blond teammate, ignoring the congratulations he was receiving.

Interesting.

"The next fight will be between… Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto will the competitors come down to the arena?"

The Inuzuka bounded carelessly off the railing while Naruto limped quickly down the stairs.

Looking at Naruto with concern, the Hokage continued, "Begin."

Kiba stared at his academy friend with concern before speaking, "Yo Naruto… You alright man? You don't look so good…. And yah reek of blood!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Ehh it's nothing dog breath… Come at me with all you got!" laughed Naruto painfully, as he massaged his shoulder painfully.

"It's your funeral Naruto, I won't go easy on you!" said Kiba loudly as he shifted his weight carefully, "I'll finish this with one shot!"

Watching from above, the jounin sensei's of team's seven and eight paid close attention to the fight.

"Naruto eh? He doesn't stand a chance Kakashi…" said the Genjutsu mistress, Kurenai.

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at his fellow jounin, but before he could respond he was cut off.

"There's no way Naruto can lose to that idiot…" came the distinct voice of Uchiha Sasuke. His attention fully focused on the two in the arena. All eyes however, focused on him.

"Naruto… He's just as strong as me…"

Kakashi looked at his genin interested. What had happened in the forest that caused Sasuke to say such a thing? Noticing Sakura's vehement nod of agreement, the copy-nin turned towards his prankster student, before raising his headband from his sharingan eye. Perhaps it was time to learn more about his cute little student…

Naruto watched as Kiba sped towards him quickly, his arm outstretched ready to punch. Huh… The Uzumaki would have grinned if the pain in his shoulder weren't so great. Kiba was slow.

The Uzumaki twisted around the attack, executing a spinning kick in the process. The crowd watched in shock as the dog using ninja flew brutally into the wall. A flash of pain in his neck however brought the Uzumaki down to one knee. What the hell was this tattoo doing to him?!

Kakashi's eyes widened as he noticed a familiar seal adorning his genin's neck. Anko had reported earlier that Orochimaru was in Konoha, but there had been no mention of a cursed seal being placed. A flurry of Anbu hand signals alerted the Hokage to the situation, who upon realizing circumstances responded quickly.

Do not interfere unless the seal is activated. Be prepared.

"What the hell? Since when have you been that fast Naruto?" questioned Kiba painfully as he climbed out of the crater in the wall.

Naruto stood up shakily and gave the barest of shrugs as he threw an easily dodged kunai.

"Well it's time I take you seriously then Naruto, injured or not! Akamaru you ready?" called out Kiba, tossing a soldier pill at the puppy, "Lets transform!"

A burst of smoke flew from their bodies, revealing two bestial looking Kiba's, their teeth and claws elongated.

"Dodge this!" growled the Kiba on the right as he threw a pair of smoke bombs at the blond ninja, "Gatsūga!"

The two spun at incredible speeds, turning into human/dog drills, flying rapidly through the air.

An explosion burst forth from the smoke, sending shattered rock flying through the area. The collective groups of genin and jounin watched with interest as the smoke slowly disappeared. Was it over?

The prone bodies of Kiba and his partner appeared motionless on the ground. They're bodies blackened with soot.

A puff of smoke came from across the arena as Naruto broke the henge he was holding.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" said the Hokage proudly, as he watched his surrogate grandson tiredly make his way back up to the arena.

Kakashi covered his sharingan eye, and eye smiled with his other. He was impressed with the level of improvement his genin showed, and the shocked look on his genjutsu wielding comrade was simply a bonus.

"What the hell just happened?" came the curious question from Ino, the blond Yamanaka confused at how her fellow blond won. The match was really short, with perhaps only three attacks being used!

"He was a clone the entire time…" came the lazy response from Shikamaru, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Naruto must have realized that his body couldn't take much damage after getting hurt in the forest, so he immediately henged into a kunai. That was why he only threw the one after he kicked Kiba. I'm not sure how he caused that explosion though…"

"Explosive notes…" came the quick reply from Tenten, the weapons user impressed at her new friends appearance, "Naruto-kun is scary good with explosives…"

"So when Kiba attacked the clone?"

"Boom…" said newly arrived Naruto, grinning cheekily.

"Good job Naruto!" said Kakashi, proudly ruffling his students hair.

"Ne stop that Kakashi-sensei, you're being a weirdo…" complained Naruto, before he covered up his neck gingerly, "Kakashi-sensei… I got to talk to you about…"

The blond trailed off...

"Hai, follow me Naruto-kun, we'll take care of you… Good work…" said Kakashi eye smiling.

Hidden across the Uzumaki, Orochimaru watched with interest from the shadows as the copy-nin took the blond away.

"So that's the container hmmm?" the snake sannin whispered to his self, admonishing himself for not realizing it earlier, "I wonder…"

Orochimaru grinned savagely as an idea suddenly struck him. Maybe… Just maybe… He wondered. What kind of vessel would a jinchūriki make?

"Kukukuku…"

AN: So how 'bout them apples? An update three days later? Crazy I know... A lot of combat this chapter, so the people complaining things were moving too slow, here y'go... The plot is starting to move to the good stuff. Seriously, I've already wrote the end of the exams... Holy fucking shit... More insight into the mind and past of Namikaze Zaraki, dude has definitely got some serious psyche issues. And young Naruto has got the cursed seal instead of Sasuke... Quick thing before I finish, I used to be one of those guys who despised Sasuke with a vengeance, so writing his character is... Different. That kid is fucked up in the head. Lol Anyway, I'm out, thanks for all the reviews people, keep 'em coming and I'll keep pumping out the chapters!

-Private Jenkins-

PS: I'm curious. If I was to kill off one of the Konoha genin, who would you rather it be? (No guarantees I'll off 'em, just food for thought for future chapters) Later all, don't forget to review on your way out!